09/12/08
Text: Nik Mercer
Photographers: PingMag
One of the greatest investigators of Japanese culture—both above and underground—PingMag, recently looked into the bizarre world of pachinko parlor development, innovation, and creation.
Pachinko, long described as "vertical pinball," is truly one of the most difficult and pointless recreations in the world—and one of the easiest to lose tremendous sums of money through! PingMag successfully exposes the confusing nature of the industry and delves deep into the psyche of both the game's architects and players.
So, it’s about the target group… What’s makes a Pachinko environment pleasant?
The design is all about the customers, so making the customers expend comfortably is the unique concept of a Pachinko parlour. Customers come in hope to make some money, but there’s more to it than that! By both winning and losing, people play to enjoy the recurring thrills of the game. So we develop space designs that make them feel as if they are actors on a stage. Our designs provide the stages for the customers to play the starring role.
